(a) Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is directed to a stereoscopic image display device and a method of displaying a 2-D image in the stereoscopic image display device.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Fast communication services to be provided by the information superhighway are expected to evolve from simpler services for hearing and speaking, such as current telephone services, to audible and visible multimedia services utilizing digital terminals for quickly processing characters, voices, and images. Furthermore, 3-D communication services that enable realistic and stereoscopic viewing and hearing are eventually expected to be developed, overcoming current temporal and spatial limitations.
Typically, a 3-D image is perceived by means of stereo vision of two eyes. Binocular disparity, i.e., a disparity caused by two eyes being separated by a distance of about 65 mm, plays a most important role in the stereoscopic effect. That is, when left and right eyes view different 2-D images and the two images are transmitted to the brain through the optic nerves, the brain combines the two images to construct a representation of the original 3-D image that includes depth. Such ability is usually called stereography.
Schemes using binocular disparity for 3-D image displays are typically categorized, depending on a need for eyeglasses, as stereoscopic schemes, which include polarization schemes and time divisional schemes, and autostereoscopic schemes, which include parallax barrier schemes and lenticular schemes.
In a stereoscopic scheme, people may perceive a 3-D image if polarization eyeglasses or liquid crystal shutter eyeglasses are worn. However, due to the drawback of wearing polarization or liquid crystal shutter eyeglasses, stereoscopic schemes are not typically used to perceive stereoscopic images, and are typically only used in movie theatres.
In contrast, autostereoscopic schemes do not require additional eyeglasses to be worn when viewing a stereoscopic image. In particular, an autostereoscopic scheme using a lenticular lens has been found to provide the best combination of thickness and aperture ratio for a stereoscopic image display device.
A display device using a lenticular lens may be relatively thin, and the display device need not be covered by the lenticular lens. However, use of a lenticular lens may deteriorate display quality of a 2-D image other than a stereoscopic image. That is, a 2-D image is refracted in the lenticular lens such that unrecognizable pixels are generated. Also, these unrecognizable pixels may display color different from the desired color, and thin lines or small characters may be spatially shifted in the display.